Drunken and Reckless Driving

News about Drunken and Reckless Driving, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 25, 2015

Fatal limo crash in Suffolk County that resulted in deaths of four young women has put focus on high numbers of alcohol-related crashes and deaths in county, highest in state; Long Island officials say absolute number of alcohol-related crashes does not give nuanced account of what is occurring in state. MORE

Jul. 25, 2015

New York Justice Gregory Carro sets bail for Domonic Whilby, who is accused of driving stolen truck while drunk into New York City bus, killing driver William Pena; Whilby, indicted on second-degree murder charges, has been incarcerated at Rikers Island since February 2014. MORE

Jul. 24, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York column probes fatal traffic accident on Long Island in which four women were killed in Cutchogue after stretch limousine they were riding in was struck broadside by drunk driver in pickup truck; points out vehicle was hit where it lacked safety protections of regular cars. MORE

Jul. 22, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York column admonishes Long Island judge Rudolph H Bruer for inequitable treatment of defendants in two recent drunk driving cases; points out that bail for boatyard operator Steven Romeo, whose truck struck limousine killing four women, was set at $500,000 cash or bond of $1 million, while prominent businessman John Costello, whose head-on collision killed farmworker, had bail set at only $250; notes that Bruer has been friends with Costello for many years. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Prosecutors say Steven Romeo, man charged with drunken driving in crash that killed four women traveling in limousine in Cutchogue, NY, had left scene of accident; Romeo, who sustained broken nose, pleads not guilty from his hospital bed to charge of driving while intoxicated. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Four women are killed and two are critically injured after their limousine is struck by drunk driver in Cutchogue, NY; authorities identify driver as Steven Romero, who is charged with driving while intoxicated; women were on chauffeured wine tasting in North Fork of Long Island as part of celebration for upcoming wedding. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is arrested for drunken driving in Gilbert, Ariz. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Wheels column; Transportation Dept unveils new touch pads that can instantly measure a driver's blood alcohol content, technology that could be deployed in steering wheels or starter buttons to prevent drunk driving; competing technology involves automotive system that analyzes breath. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Steven James Anderson of Fargo, ND, is convicted for driving zamboni during high school hockey game while drunk. MORE

May. 26, 2015

At least three people die in car crashes around New York City over Memorial Day weekend, and at least one crash involved intoxicated driver. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth says Secret Service agents Marc Connolly and George Ogilvie were likely intoxicated when they drove into area near White House where agents were inspecting suspicious package in March; agents have been criticized for lack of judgement. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Former Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens is sentenced to month in jail, four years of probation and two-year alcohol program for driving drunk in Manhattan Beach, Calif. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Salman Khan, one of India's biggest movie stars, is found guilty by Mumbai court of culpable homicide in 2002 hit-and-run case; Khan ran over group of homeless men, killing one, while driving drunk; decision is seen as victory of common man over wealthy and highlights common problem of delays in justice due to India's clogged courts. MORE

Apr. 28, 2015

Tests show that Pedro Abad, off-duty police officer from Linden, NJ, had blood-alcohol level of .24, three times legal limit, when he drove wrong way and crashed into tractor trailer in Staten Island, killing two of his passengers. MORE

Apr. 5, 2015

Former Florida State defensive back P J Williams is charged with driving under the influence. MORE

Mar. 21, 2015

Two passengers are killed in wrong-way collision when car carrying four men, including three off-duty police officers from Linden, NJ, strikes tractor-trailer on Staten Island's West Shore Expressway; car was traveling north in southbound lane after leaving strip club in early morning hours, and investigators are probing whether alcohol played a role in crash. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

Secret Service agents Mark Connolly and George Ogilvie are suspected of drunken driving after surveillance footage shows them bumping their car into barricade that cordoned off area around a suspicious package in Washington, DC; incident is likely to provoke even greater scrutiny of agency that has endured series of embarrassments. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Dept of Homeland Security is investigating allegations that senior Secret Service agents Mark Connolly and George Ogilvie crashed a government-issued car into White House barricade after night of drinking; episode is latest in series of scandals and misadventures that have befallen the agency. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

Franklin Reyes Jr of Manhattan pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2013 incident in which he hit and killed 4-year-old Ariel Russo while driving unlicensed; Reyes, who is charged with two separate unlicensed driving crimes, receives prison term of three to nine years in exchange for plea. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Lance Armstrong pleads guilty to careless driving and pays fine after hitting two parked cars in Aspen, Colo; girlfriend Anna Hansen had initially taken blame, but later admitted that Armstrong had been driving; other cycling news noted. MORE

Jan. 10, 2015

Suffragan Bishop Heather Cook, one of top officials in Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, will face manslaughter charges in hit-and-run death of cyclist Thomas Palermo in December 2014; police say Cook was drunk and texting when she hit Palermo in Baltimore, and left the scene. MORE

Dec. 20, 2014

Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps pleads guilty to last October's drunken driving arrest after he left Baltimore casino; his one year prison sentence is suspended, but he must be on probation for a year and a half. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Bartolo Valastro Jr, reality television star known as the 'Cake Boss,' pleads guilty to driving while impaired in Manhattan; he is fined $300 and his license is suspended for three months. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

Review of law enforcement records and interviews with people involved in car accident involving Florida State University cornerback P J Williams finds that Williams was given break by Tallahassee police; police initially labeled accident a hit and run, but later decided to issue Williams two traffic tickets; accident comes amid heightened national scrutiny of preferential treatment given to athletes. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Bartolo 'Buddy' Valastro Jr, bakery owner featured on reality television show Cake Boss, is arrested in Manhattan and charged with driving while intoxicated. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Toxicology reports show that St Louis Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras was drunk at the time of his fatal car crash in Dominican Republic in October. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Adam Tang, driver convicted in absentia of reckless endangerment after posting on YouTube a video of himself racing around Manhattan in 24 minutes, says he has fled to Canada and does not intend to return to face sentence of up to a year in jail. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about being paid by a boyfriend to do cleaning in a shared house and about a landscaper who has been convicted of a DWI. MORE

Nov. 7, 2014

Adam Tang of Upper East Side, who raced his car around Manhattan in 24 minutes and posted video of stunt online, is convicted in absentia of reckless endangerment; warrant is issued for his arrest and he faces up to a year in jail. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Indiana basketball player Emmitt Holt is charged with misdemeanor under-age drinking in Bloomington, Ind. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps is arrested on drunken-driving charge in Baltimore. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

Jojo K John of Nyack, NY, is sentenced to two years in jail for vehicular manslaughter; John plead guilty after crashing powerboat into a construction barge in July 2013, killing bride-to be Lindsey Stewart and her fiance's best man, Mark Lennon. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

The Upshot; analysis of arrests, charges and citations for NFL players since 2000 reveals several trends, including fact that certain teams have far more persistent problems than others; while overall arrests since the mid-2000s have fallen significantly, accusations for drunken driving and domestic abuse continue to be a problem. MORE

Jul. 30, 2014

NFL Roundup; police announce that Arizona Cardinals linebacker John Abraham was arrested on DUI charges in June after falling asleep inside his car on a suburban Atlanta highway. MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Police say Krystal Berkowitz of Stony Brook, NY, who chose to walk home instead of drive with Lawrence Pagano, friend she thought was drunk, is killed after he runs into her; Pagano is arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Ron McGerity, 61-year-old American man who was cycling in Russia carrying 'messages of peace,' is killed by Russian drunken driver in hit-and-run accident. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in Raleigh, NC, bringing his already cloudy future into more doubt. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Recent arrest of three judges in Broward County, Fla, on DUI charges has raised concerns that incidents are part of larger systemic problem; arrests follow long history of nepotism and cronyism in county's judiciary, including instances of corruption, drug use and public nudity; critics point to highly politicized and clannish culture that is known for protecting its own, and in which judges come to feel invincible. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent is released from jail following his conviction in a drunken car crash in 2012 that killed his friend and teammate Jerry Brown; other football news noted. MORE

Jun. 6, 2014

Indiana court suspends the Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s driver’s license for one year after his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated. MORE

May. 22, 2014

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith pleads no contest to three felony weapons charges and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence; faces a maximum sentence of four years and four months in prison; other NFL news noted. MORE

Apr. 25, 2014

Jay Poggi, New York City police detective who accidentally shot his partner in the wrist, is arrested and charged with drunken driving. MORE

Apr. 17, 2014

Texas Gov Rick Perry has been traveling to promote himself and his state, as he considers another run for president in 2016; however, criminal inquiry continues into his handling of local District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s drunken driving arrest and financing for a public corruption unit under her control. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Anthony Pollydore is arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges including aggravated driving while intoxicated and aggravated vehicular assault in death of stepson Dylan Perry; 11-year-old suffered severe head trauma in crash and later died at Kings County Hospital. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

Death of 5-year-old Roshard Charles in Crown Heights section of Brooklyn after he was fatally struck by a minivan is at once a painful emblem of stakes inherent in Mayor Bill de Blasio's street safety campaign and a dispiriting reminder that protecting every inch of the city’s roads can often seem impossible; Elizabeth Mayard is charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of the fatal crash. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

NFL Roundup; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay may face felony charges after being arrested when stopped for driving erratically; failed field sobriety test and multiple prescription drugs were found inside his vehicle; other football news noted. MORE

Mar. 14, 2014

Fatal crash at South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Tex, crystallizes question of whether festival has become too big and too rowdy, and lost original spirit of what it intended to be; two people were killed and at least 23 injured when driver evading arrest slammed his car into crowd. MORE

Mar. 13, 2014

Domonic Whilby appears in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, pleading not guilty to second-degree murder and eight other felony charges; Whilby is accused of stealing truck after night of drinking and plowing into a New York City bus, killing veteran MTA driver William Pena; faces 25 years to life in prison on second-degree murder charge alone. MORE